Monday, August 18, 2014

Day 8, Game 3 - Seiryou (Ishikawa) v. Kanoya Chuo (Kagoshima)

Kanoya Chuo caught one of the biggest (and most heartbreaking for the opponent) breaks in it's first round game. After tying the game in the 8th to send it to enchousen, in the 12th with runners on 1st and 3rd with 1 out, Shiritsu Wakayama's 2B Yamane accidentally goes to 1st on a contact play and they sayonara run scores, shocking everyone in the stadium and completely crushing Yamane.

Nanashima and Yonezawa were effective enough on the mound, but this will be a tougher task in Seiryou.

For their part Seiryou was involved in a close game with Shizuoka though on the losing end. But poor defense from Shizuoka let ace Tsujimoto down, and when you're a contact pitcher that is the worst feeling to have.

Seiryou was far from stellar. The 3-4-5 hitters went a combined 2-11, and ace Iwashita gave 5 free passes.

Bottom 2nd
Oota completely swings over the forkball for the first out. Kanda with a weak grounder back up the middle. Nakamura charges it down, throws and beats a diving Kanda. *sighs*

Iwashita closes out the frame by freezing Yamashita on an outside fastball.

Top 3rd
Tanigawa turns on an inside fastball (that was meant to be outside) and singles through the left side.

Murakami lays down the bunt, Kawauchi goes to 2nd, but that's late! Throw to 1st, over everything! It's into the camera well and everyone advances a base!

The umpires confer again, and award the runner home! 2-1 Seiryou! Since the runner was on 2nd when the throw was made, the 2-base award sent him home.

With one down, Seiryou starts the engine again. Iwashita with a sharp hit to 3rd that Tokushige can block, but not field cleanly. Imamura follows that with a clean single through the left side.

Nanashima gets out of the inning though when he gets Toratani to hit into the 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Bottom 3rd
Nanashima can't lay off the outside slider and becomes Iwashita's 4th K victim. After a groundout to 2nd by Kawasaki, Iwashita gives up a walk to Hakiai. It leads to nothing as Tokushige also grounds to 2nd to end the inning.

Top 4th
Yokoyama starts the inning with a slicer down the right field line for a single. He's bunted to 2nd, and a slow grounder to short by Nakamura moves him to 3rd.

Tanigawa can't get the timely hit as he grounds to Hakiai as well to end the inning.

Bottom 4th
Just when you think Kanoya Chuo is getting some traction, Seiryou takes it right back.

Kawauchi with a grounder back up the middle for a base hit, but Oota grounds into the inning-ending 6-4-3 double play...

Top 5th
After Murakami goes down swinging, Satake takes the first pitch deep to left center. The fielders have to chase the ball to the wall and he's in with a double.

Iwashita tries to check his swing, but winds up hitting the ball. It's effectively a bunt as it dies in front of the plate and Kawauchi goes to 1st.

Imamura with a sharp liner, but right at Tokushige who makes the catch for the 3rd out.

Bottom 5th
Kanoya Chuo manages a runner when Nanashima reaches base on a wild pitch on his K.

And Nanashima's day is done! #15 Okadome comes in to run for him!

Kawasaki strikes out to end the inning, but Nanashima is done, and so far so does Kanoya Chuo.

Top 6th
#10 Yonezawa comes in for PR Okudome to take the hill.

Seiryou rudely welcomes him. After he gives up a leadoff walk and is bunted over, Fukushige singles to center scoring Toratani to make it 4-1.

Nakamura lays down a bunt and Yonezawa can't field it cleanly. Throw to 1st not in time.

Thankfully he gets out of the inning as Tanigawa grounds into the 4-6-3 double play.

Bottom 6th
Well to sum up the game, Kimura hits 2-out double to left center. Kawauchi hits a ball hard to 3rd, Yanase fumbles the ball. But Kimura is heading to 3rd and Yanase just tags him for 3rd out.

Going through the motions...

7-9th InningsThis game is pretty much over, so here are just some changes that happened.

Bottom 7th
Seiryou rest's Iwashita's arm, they send him to LF. Fukushige goes to center and Tanigawa takes the hill.

At least I get to hear Cruel Angel's Thesis (With Justin.tv no more hearing the ouen-dan it's a little harder)

Bottom 8th
With #10 Nakamura running for Imamura, he takes 2B, Nakamura goes to SS and #5 Yanase comes in for Toratani and goes to 3B

Top 9th
With Nishimura hitting for Yonezawa (and subsequently Hiromori running for him), #11 Sorachi comes in to finish out the game for Kanoya Chuo.

Bottom 9th
Fukushige comes in from CF to take the hill, Tanigawa goes back to CF and now #15 Takeya comes in for Satake in RF.

Well, I guess after Fukushige gives up a walk, a loud line out to short, and then a gapper to left center to put the douten runner at the plate, Hayashi-kantoku stops messing around.

Iwashita takes the hill and Fukushige goes back to LF.

One last timeout by Hayashi-kantoku and Iwashita will close out the game.

And so he does.

Seiryou decided to get some work in with their players at Kanoya Chuo's expense knowing that if things went bad like it did in the 9th, Iwashita could close it out.

And it did and he did.

That's really about it. Kanoya Chuo was just outmatched in the game, and unfortunately heads home. But at least they were able to enjoy a victory before going home.